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In Amos 1:1, the prophet did an interesting thing. He used an earthquake that hit Judah and Israel about 2,800 years ago, during the reign of Judah’s King Uzziah, as a sign post dating his prophetic calling:
1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders from Tekoa, which he saw in visions concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Uzziah reigned as King of Judah between 790 and 739 BC. It is believed the earthquake took place around 750 BC. This was nearly 200 years before the destruction of the Temple in 586 BC, when Babylon invaded Jerusalem and hauled off the nation into captivity.
But Amos was not the only prophet to mention the earthquake, centuries later the prophet Zechariah (520 to 470 BC) was still talking about the earthquake that occurred in King Uzziah’s day (Zechariah 14:5).
This suggests that there was such devastation, it was still in public memory as it was being referenced after Judah had returned from its Babylonian captivity.
The two references to King Uzziah, suggests that Judah and Jerusalem were probably the epicentre for what some archaeologists believe was the largest earthquake to ever hit the region.
Though there have been several archaeological finds around Israel confirming the earthquake, up to now there has been no evidence of it found in Jerusalem.
But according to an article on Israel 365 News, that changed when archaeologists, working with Israel’s Antiquity Authority (IAA), announced they have found evidence of this earthquake in Old Jerusalem.
They reported finding a layer of destruction, including evidence of toppled walls, and several shattered storage containers, bowls and other vessels.
However, there was one thing missing.
There was no evidence of a fire, suggesting that the destruction was not human in origin, such as what would occur during a siege.
Because of this, the archaeologists concluded that this layer of destruction, dated to the 8th century BC, was caused by the earthquake that hit the area during the reign of King Uzziah.
Speaking for the IAA’s archaeological team, Dr. Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf noted:
“We asked ourselves what could have caused that dramatic layer of destruction we uncovered. Examining the excavation findings, we tried to check if there is a reference to it in the biblical text. Interestingly, the earthquake that appears in the Bible in the books of Amos and Zechariah, occurred at the time when the building we excavated in the City of David collapsed. The combination of the finds in the field together with the biblical description, led us to the conclusion that the earthquake that struck the Land of Israel during the reign of Uzziah king of Judah, also hit the capital of the kingdom – Jerusalem. “
Earthquakes are not that uncommon in Israel. On June 15, 2021, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Dead Sea and was felt through most of Southern Israel.
But in Luke 21:11, Jesus warned that one of the birth pangs signalling we are entering the end times, involved not only more earthquake, but also ones of greater magnitude.
But there will be a couple that will stick out from the rest.
In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John’s vision of the end times, he saw two massive earthquakes.
The first occurs at the breaking of the sixth seal in Revelation 6:12, that is described as a “Great Earthquake.” It is uncertain where it will take place, as John provides no details on its location, indicating that it will probably not be in Israel.
Then John describes a second earthquake in Revelation 16:16-20, which he calls the greatest earthquake to ever hit the world. Three times, the apostle emphasized it power, using the words ‘great’ (2) and ‘mighty’ (1) to describe its magnitude.
There is no doubt as to the location of this second one, the epicentre will be Jerusalem, resulting in the city being split into three parts. This earthquake will be so powerful it will even shift islands.
READ: Archaeological proof of Biblical earthquake that hit Jerusalem discovered AND Israeli Archaeologists Find Evidence of Biblical Earthquake in Ancient Jerusalem
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